Individual Differences and Hemispheric Asymmetries for Language and Spatial Attention

Language and spatial processing are cognitive functions that are asymmetrically distributed across both cerebral hemispheres. In the present study, we compare left- and right-handers on word comprehension using a divided visual field paradigm and spatial attention using a landmark task. We investigate hemispheric asymmetries by assessing the participants’ behavioral metrics; response accuracy, reaction time and their laterality index. The data showed that right-handers benefitted more from left-hemispheric lateralization for language comprehension and right-hemispheric lateralization for spatial attention than left-handers. Furthermore, left-handers demonstrated a more variable distribution across both hemispheres, supporting a less focal profile of functional brain organization. Taken together, the results underline that handedness distinctively modulates hemispheric processing and behavioral performance during verbal and nonverbal tasks. In particular, typical lateralization is most prevalent for right-handers whereas atypical lateralization is more evident for left-handers. These insights contribute to the understanding of individual variation of brain asymmetries and the mechanisms related to changes in cerebral dominance.